The invention relates to a bottle or can package assembly involving upper and lower spaced trays which are secured by banding or strapping material.
This patent is a further development of the subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,345 which is incorporated herein by reference. That patent discloses equipment for packaging the recently developed P.E.T. bottles made from polyethylene terepthalate. These bottles are formed with pronounced laterally extending neck flanges. In the foregoing patent the flanges cooperate with various guide and support means to assist in handling the bottles during loading. The present invention in its most specific applications relates to utilizing the laterally extending flanges of the P.E.T. bottles to center and positively locate an upper tray which is part of an upper and lower tray assembly.
Although two-piece cases or cartons are old as illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,885,137; 3,425,544; 3,058,643; and 3,743,167, none of these patents use the articles themselves or the article necks as a centering or positioning device to positively position a smaller upper tray at a predetermined position with respect to the lower tray.